Problems identified, now solutions are in order

Published: Thursday, February 6, 2014 at 08:15 PM.

On Jan. 27, a community forum on the topic of poverty in Alamance County and in our nation was presented by the Times-News in partnership with Elon University. It’s to the credit of both organizations that this very relevant discussion was held. Events like this help to make the community of Burlington and Alamance County a better place, as they bring to public attention the very legitimate human needs which must be met if we are to enjoy a more just and compassionate society. Thanks go to the Times-News and to Elon for reaching out and making the social circle wider by facilitating this discussion.

The recent forum on poverty provided an excellent and detailed rendering of the issue. The specific circumstances of economic disadvantage were recounted ably by the executive directors of local non-profits and by Elon faculty members who are scholars in academic disciplines appropriately related to the topic. Using both statistics and real-life stories, the many well-informed presenters laid the problem out cleanly and plainly. As a result, we know the exact nature of the problem.

The next step in our dialogue might then be a reframing of the issue. I propose that a community forum be held in which the topic will shift from the identification and description of the problem to the generation of potential solutions. I forward the notion that next we place the combined intellectual resources of our community on articulating the desired outcomes and on creating the methods by which these desired outcomes can be made real.

If we didn’t know before, we certainly learned from the recent forum that economic disadvantage is the core of many societal problems. Likewise, we know from common sense that sufficient income for all would help greatly. In our area, so profoundly affected by a transitional moment in commerce, that means we must explore the topic of job creation. I propose we dispense with hoping for corporate and government fixes and turn our attention instead to the creation of small businesses right in the areas of need.

On Jan. 27, a community forum on the topic of poverty in Alamance County and in our nation was presented by the Times-News in partnership with Elon University. It’s to the credit of both organizations that this very relevant discussion was held. Events like this help to make the community of Burlington and Alamance County a better place, as they bring to public attention the very legitimate human needs which must be met if we are to enjoy a more just and compassionate society. Thanks go to the Times-News and to Elon for reaching out and making the social circle wider by facilitating this discussion.

The recent forum on poverty provided an excellent and detailed rendering of the issue. The specific circumstances of economic disadvantage were recounted ably by the executive directors of local non-profits and by Elon faculty members who are scholars in academic disciplines appropriately related to the topic. Using both statistics and real-life stories, the many well-informed presenters laid the problem out cleanly and plainly. As a result, we know the exact nature of the problem.

The next step in our dialogue might then be a reframing of the issue. I propose that a community forum be held in which the topic will shift from the identification and description of the problem to the generation of potential solutions. I forward the notion that next we place the combined intellectual resources of our community on articulating the desired outcomes and on creating the methods by which these desired outcomes can be made real.

If we didn’t know before, we certainly learned from the recent forum that economic disadvantage is the core of many societal problems. Likewise, we know from common sense that sufficient income for all would help greatly. In our area, so profoundly affected by a transitional moment in commerce, that means we must explore the topic of job creation. I propose we dispense with hoping for corporate and government fixes and turn our attention instead to the creation of small businesses right in the areas of need.